The Deepavali celebrations come to an end, things are returned to normal and decorations are to be removed from the premises.
Recently, a video of an individual defacing a Deepavali kolam (rangoli) at a local private hospital has gone viral online, drawing a huge backlash from netizens. The video was uploaded on Twitter, where it showed a man clad in blue baju melayu trodding over the kolam and ruining it.
The man can also be seen drawing a ‘S’ over the design with his hands, while the persons behind the camera gave a big laugh and said he is committing vandalism.
The incident is believed to have taken place in a renowned private health facility but it is unclear when it took place although the Deepavali festival was celebrated on Monday.
Tengok mentality Pukimak Ini pic.twitter.com/ZtEKw2xBlw
— INDRREN (@Vindhar1) October 30, 2022
In the comment section, a netizen said it takes its creators many hours to make a kolam and the man’s actions are just an insult.
“You know how hard it is, how tedious the process is to make a kolam, especially that beautiful. It takes days and you are vandalising it, showing no mercy to those who did it. Don’t talk about respecting culture when you don’t even have the basic courtesy to understand someone else’s effort,” the netizen said.
Meanwhile, a netizen said the man could be removing the decoration after the celebration is over but agreed that it should be removed properly and not playing with it.
As much as we want people to respect our culture and belief, that guy punya action is nothing but pure disrespect to the Hindu believer. Even if the arts is about to be remove sekalipun, I believe those who handle the removing and cleaning part will handle it with manner.
— obey 🏴 (@ZubirMarsan) October 30, 2022
Investigations started
Responding to the matter, the KPJ Klang private hospital in a statement said it is aware that one of its staff members was involved in the “unprofessional behaviour” shown in the video and it does not condone any act of disrespect among its staff within the hospital grounds.
The hospital management said an internal investigation will be conducted and stern action will be taken against the staff involved.
“KPJ is committed to the highest level of professionalism and we do not compromise on ethical values. Any further updates will be communicated through our official channels,” the statement reads.
— Sugu (@Sugumaran_S7) October 30, 2022
On the other hand, a police report regarding this was lodged at the Bandar Baru Klang police station.
According to Sinar Harian, Klang Utara police chief Vijaya Rao Samachulu said the case is being investigated under Section 298A of the Penal Code, which deals with “causing disharmony, disunity, or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will, or prejudicing the maintenance of harmony or unity, on grounds of religion”.
He said the suspect will be called in to provide a statement at the Klang Utara police district headquarters.
He also advised the public to be mindful of their action or behaviour that could affect the nation’s harmony.
 at a local private hospital has gone viral online, drawing a huge backlash from netizens. The video was uploaded on Twitter, where it showed a man clad in blue baju melayu trodding over the kolam and ruining it.){kind=link}